Barry's inclusion in the game was announced earlier this week, a move that surprised many Resident Evil fans. Barry's hilarious dialogue and voice over from the first Resident Evil game is the subject of countless memes.

So why include him in Mercenaries 3D?

"Most of the Resident Evil characters are cool heroes," Kawata explained. "Barry's a little bit different. It was quite a few years ago we found out that Barry was popular in the western market. It was a bit of a surprise for us Japanese guys.

"But since then we've always thought about him. He's a guy who thinks about his family all the time, which shows his humility. We thought he would be a unique character to play.

"He's a large guy, so he can do melee by using his body. He's also a maniac for guns. That's his strong point. From the start of the game he is allocated powerful weapons."

Unfortunately he won't have any joke lines of dialogue in the game. Capcom has always considered him a serious character – indeed he was always intended as such.

"He's not included as a comedian character," Kawata said.

"It's difficult because we don't play the game in English. The English lines may be taken in a different context when it's translated from the Japanese.

"I remember him as having love for his family. In order to protect his family he has to betray his colleagues. That was an impressionable scene."